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Mixing tracks as fake stereo. Is this a fault?
Hello everyone! I'm new to the community, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes about posting a thread.
I have a project recorded six years ago in Cubase 5, and recently, I decided to mix it. Many of the tracks (channels) I originally recorded in mono were exported by Cubase 5 as fake stereo. Despite this, I moved the project to Pro Tools for mixing. I processed several channels, including bass guitar, electric guitar, and acoustic guitar. However, when I reached the vocals, I realized I had been working in stereo until now (a bit late, I know). More importantly, I ran most signals, including vocals, through iZotope RX and Melodyne (working as standalone), obtaining fake stereo signals and then mixing them again. My question is whether it's wrong to mix these originally mono signals as fake stereo. If so, how can I convert these channels back to mono without losing my mix (the split into mono method seems unnecessary)? Has anyone intentionally worked with mono channels as fake stereo? If so, why did you choose this method, or why shouldn't it be preferred? This project is for my thesis, and that's why I'm putting so much thought into it. |
#2
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Re: Mixing tracks as fake stereo. Is this a fault?
Welcome aboard! If by "fake stereo" you mean a track that is exactly the same on left and right(dual mono), then it will sound like a mono track. This happens a lot with audio files from Logic and GarageBand. My preference is to use the "Split to Mono" option and keep one mono track, then hide(make inactive) or delete the other mono and original "stereo" tracks, just to keep the session tidy. Even after your Melodyne and RX work, if you committed those, you can probably do as I described above(split and delete what you don't need). This is assuming there was no actual stereo effect added to the audio file. There really is no "problem" with treating(mixing) those tracks just as you would with a mono track, except that it might cause you to mix too hot(a fake stereo track will sum a bit hotter than a mono track).
As this is for your thesis, will the session be looked at? If yes, then I would probably do a lot of "housecleaning" before handing it over. I would split to mono(this will require you to redo your panning) and clean out all the "garbage". I would also rename tracks AND audio files so things are neat and clear(tracks that are chopped up into lots of smaller clips would get consolidated before the file renaming). when I do this(consolidate and rename), I often duplicate the Playlist first and then consolidate the duplicate(leaving the original chopped up track hidden away, but still available, just in case....)
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HP Z4 workstation, Mbox Studio https://www.facebook.com/search/top/...0sound%20works The better I drink, the more I mix BTW, my name is Dave, but most people call me.........................Dave |
#3
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Re: Mixing tracks as fake stereo. Is this a fault?
Sorry I don't quite understand what you mean by "fake stereo" but if you like the sound of your mix then don't change it now because of some perceived rule. There kinda are no rules.
I do know that many DAWs export mono tracks as stereo tracks for some reason. And there's a great app called StereoMonoizer which can tell you if an interleaved audio file has any stereo content or is indeed dual-mono. If it's not really stereo you can split the track in PT, delete one side, and work with it as a mono track. (albee beat me to it with a better answer...)
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2023 MacBook Pro 15,8 (M3 max) Mac OS 14.4 (Sonoma) PT 24.3.1.162 (Ultimate) TB Native + Omni at home Apogee Duet 3 on the road Last edited by _JJ_; 02-28-2024 at 04:56 PM. Reason: slow typing |
#4
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Re: Mixing tracks as fake stereo. Is this a fault?
^^^ and if that is not it. Do you have the original Cubase 5 sessions? If so why not go back to them and output the mono tracks as mono. You can get a free trial of Cubase if needed.
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#5
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Re: Mixing tracks as fake stereo. Is this a fault?
Quote:
Quote:
I have the original session actually. The problem is I already processed those signals with RX and Melodyne while working standalone. Thank you for advice. |
#6
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Re: Mixing tracks as fake stereo. Is this a fault?
No you will not lose quality if you split into Mono.
It is not a "fault" to do this, just a hassle. For instance panning. But if you have a mix as you like it, just leave it. Not hurting anything.
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~Will |
#7
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Re: Mixing tracks as fake stereo. Is this a fault?
Okay thank you so much.
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#8
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Re: Mixing tracks as fake stereo. Is this a fault?
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^^^^This. Anytime I get a batch of files to mix from the outside world (esp if they've come from Logic) the first thing I do is dump 'em into StereoMonoizer to check 'em - there's *always* stereo tracks with mono content.
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http://www.richbreen.com ---------------------------------------- Mac Studio / Ventura, PT 2023.12.HDX, Avid HD I/Os and Metric Halo ULN8, 3xS1/Dock Also running a Mac Studio Ultra / Ventura / HDX / MTRX / S6 |
#9
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Re: Mixing tracks as fake stereo. Is this a fault?
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After selecting the channels that should be mono, I saved them to another location using the 'save copy in' method. For each channel, I obtained two wav files and imported one of them back into the project. Then I performed gain staging again for each clip (using the previous settings). Afterward, I repanned all of them. The only issue is that there's approximately a 3 dB drop when using only one side of the dual mono signal. However, this can be easily resolved. Thank you all again for your interest. Last edited by aliclk; 03-01-2024 at 06:05 PM. |
#10
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Re: Mixing tracks as fake stereo. Is this a fault?
If every track drops 3dB you only get 3dB more headroom
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Janne What we do in life, echoes in eternity. |
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